December 6th, 2010

Grub Street News

Welcome to the latest installment of the Grub Street Rag, a newsletter of the Boston literary scene sent out every Monday from the secret underground tunnel entrance that everybody knows about now at Grub Street's World Headquarters. As always, if you are receiving this e-mail in horror, please advance to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe yourself.

Thursday Night = Showcase Night!

Join us at 8pm on Thursday for our quarterly Season Showcase, featuring readings by Fall workshop students and Grub instructors Amy Marcott and Scott Challener. This event is always a blast, so come cheer on your fellow writers and have a great time while you're at it. Details below.

Featured Workshop of the Week: "Speculative Novel In Progress"

First drafts of novels can be messy, amorphous and daunting. And if you write fantasy, horror, magical realism or dark fairy tale fiction, you may find that concerns specific to the intricate workings of your genre may not be dealt with in a literary fiction class. In this class, we will grapple together with the unique challenges that writing in the speculative genres can present. There will be no manuscripts to read and critique outside of class; all the work outside of the classroom will be devoted to one's own writing. In class, we will do exercises, discuss craft issues -- characterization, plot and outlining, point of view, voice, dialogue, setting -- and read short scenes (no more than 5 pages) from each other's work aloud, providing guidance and feedback in an environment that recognizes the challenges of the speculative novel in progress. We will form a supportive and focused group that will guide the speculative writer through the critical stage of their early draft. In the last class, all writers will be invited to hand in the first 20 pages of their novels to receive a written critique from the instructor, with suggested strategies for finishing the manuscript. Please bring the first page (double-spaced) of your novel to the first class; or, if you haven’t started writing yet, bring a one-page summary of the novel you’d like to write. Taught by the always awesome K.L. Perreira. (10 Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30pm. Begins January 12th. Learn more or register now!)

Department of Congratulations, Ten Thousand Lords-a-Leapin' Edition

We've got a supersized Department of Congratulations this month. First up, some news from our instructors. Cam Terwilliger, who in addition to teaching killer fiction classes at Grub is now the Associate Fiction Editor at West Branch, just found out that his story, "The Kingdom," was a finalist for Narrative's "People Under 30" contest. Instructor KL Pereira had not one but two poems published in current issue of The Medulla Review. Grub instructor and consultant Tim Horvath has a story, "The City in the Light of Moths," in the fall issue of Conjunctions, and in addition to being available in print, it can be found online at http://www.conjunctions.com/archives/c55-th.htm. Instructor Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich and Grubbie Octavia Randolph were both awarded MacDowell Colony fellowships for 2011--maybe they'll run into each other there (when they're not writing, of course!)

In addition to Octavia, many other Grub students have news to shout about. Grubbie Tilia Klebenov Jacobs' screenplay, Fright at the Museum, made the top 25% in the Page International Screenwriting Competition.  The film was a short and was filmed and produced at the Worcester Fencing Club in Worcester.  Watch the trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9UL4Rbvs3c. Shubha Sunder had her short story Climb published by The Drum -- A Literary Magazine for Your Ears. You can hear it at http://www.drumlitmag.com. Speaking of The Drum, the magazine's founder, Henriette Power, just got great news that her novel, Clean Monday, will be published in 2013 by Ballantine Books. Clean Monday follows a young Greek/American woman who travels to Greece during the abandon of Carnival to collect a family inheritance, only to discover her estranged mother's role in the family's misfortune during WW II. Grubbie Henry Lara's flash fiction piece, HERO, was featured as the Veteran's Day piece at Every Day Fiction. It was very well received, and made it to the "Top Ten Stories of All Time" list of the site. Grub member Sunny Davidson read "Dad" for the Suffolk University Cocoanut Grove Project. The program was taped at Old South Meeting House on November 11, 2010 and will be included in the Boston Fire Historical Society archives.  

Over the past month, prolific Grubbie Amy Rodriguez's essays have appeared on babble.com, Literary Mama, and in Get Born magazine. Amy says she'd "like to give a shout out to her all-Grubbie writing group for polishing her essays for submission and inspiring her to write." Another Grubbie, Sudha Menon, who spends half of her year in Mumbai, just wrote to tell us that her first non-fiction book, Leading Ladies, The Women Who Inspire India, an inspirational book drawn from and woven around the lives of some of India's most accomplished women leaders, was launched at a lovely function in Mumbai on November 24th. Sudha always finds time for Grub classes when she's in Boston, and said that she "discovered the pure joy of writing for myself at Grub." Joseph Souza recently won Honorable Mention for the Al Blanchard Award for his short story 'The Stone Walls of Lebanon.' He received his award at Crimebake, New England's largest conference for mystery writers and readers. The story was a finalist out of 160 submissions.

And lastly, a publishing success story from Grubbie Julie Wu, whose novel The Third Son was sold to Algonquin a couple weeks ago. Julie workshopped her novel in two Grub classes (Master Novel with John Sedgwick and Your Entire Book with Stuart Horwitz). Julie says: "The feedback I got from both classes was invaluable. Your Whole Book helped inspire a rewrite that won a short-listing in the Faulkner-Wisdom novel-in-progress competition and and also landed me my agent. Thanks so much for Grub Street and all the hard work you do. This is one writer who counts herself lucky to be a Grubbie!" We are glad to have Julie and all the rest of the wonderful writers as Grubbies, too. Congratulations to all!

Do you have writing news and want to be featured in the DoC? The first Monday of every month, we feature Grub Street members who have sent their good news to whitney@grubstreet.org. To be included, please send Whitney an email with information about your publication, award or fellowship. Limit your announcement to 60 words or less. Extra credit if the announcement is written in the third person, which is good practice for your writing anyway.

Where's my Free Press?

We know many of you look forward to receiving our newspaper, The Free Press, in your mailbox four times a year. If that's true for you, we are sorry to have to tell you that the Freep is on hiatus for the winter term. But be on the lookout for its return in 2011, dressed in a dazzling digital format and chock full of great Grub news.

Cheers,
Whitney, Sonya, Chris, Chip, and Eve

Grub Events

In addition to our ongoing workshops, Grub Street offers numerous writing-related events around town. See our website for a long-term view of all we do.

READING AND OPEN MIC: Thursday, December 9th, 8:00-10:00pm, Fall Season Showcase
Join Grub students from the Fall 2010 term, plus two of our award-winning instructors, Amy Marcott and Scott Challener, as they read (for 5 minutes each) from recent work. You'll hear great fiction, non-fiction, poetry and maybe even a screenplay. Reading slots are open only to students who've taken courses, seminars or weekend workshops in Fall 2010; everyone is welcome to be part of the audience. And yes, everyone gets free snacks and drinks. Sign-ups begin around 8pm. A great event for current Grubbies and those who want to check us out. Bring friends!
FREE, Grub Street headquarters.

SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Find Your Memoir
This seminar will help writers who are beginning to write a memoir (or want to write a memoir) find a shape and form for their story.
Instructor: Ethan Gilsdorf
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*

SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Childhood Firsts
Flannery O’Connor famously said: “If you’ve survived your childhood, you have enough material to write about for the rest of your life.” In this seminar we will write with courage and exuberance to plumb these memories, hear them sing, and see how they connect and reverberate.
Instructor: Leslie Lawrence
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*

SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Become a Critical Creative: The Art of the Literary Review
Earning a living as a writer is notoriously difficult, especially without a diversified portfolio. Critical reviewing is an excellent way to build income and identity, all while maintaining a connection to one’s art. Taught by a veteran of the publishing industry and long-time book reviewer, Becoming a Critical Creative explores the development of a distinct perspective that writers can apply to the areas in which they work. The seminar evaluates key examples from leading critics and discusses the successful—or unsuccessful—methods of their approach. It covers the most common forms of reviewing—short form, long form, capsule, academic, pop—and the publications in which they appear. It also shares strategies for securing work as a reviewer and for creating the kind of voice that grabs a reader’s attention. Students are encouraged to submit review samples before class that the instructor and class can workshop. If you'd like to submit samples, please send them as an attachment by Sunday, December 5th, to chip@grubstreet.org.
Instructor: Marisa Pagano
*4 SPOTS LEFT* Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.

SEMINAR: Tuesday, December 7th, 7:00-10:00pm, Ask the Agent
Janet Silver, Literary Director of the Zachary Shuster Harmsworth agency, brings more than three decades of experience as an acclaimed editor and publishing executive to her work as a literary agent. In this Grub Street seminar, you will sit down with Janet and ask her any question that’s on your mind about the role of the agent and get an insider’s view of the life of a literary agency.
Instructor: Janet Silver
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*

FREE LUNCHTIME WRITING: Monday, December 13th, 12:30-1:15pm, Brown Bag Lunch Series
Do you work downtown and want to fit some writing into your day? Or do you have a schedule that gives you free afternoons instead of evenings? Bring your lunch and come on over to Grub Street for a Brown Bag Writing Workshop – a series recently profiled in the Boston Globe. For 45 minutes, you’ll meet fellow writers and get your creative juices flowing with some cool writing exercises. Led by one of our award-winning instructors or ambassadors. Best of all, you’ll leave lunch with some new ideas to ponder for the rest of your day, and beyond. No need to RSVP-- just come!
FREE, Grub Street headquarters.

SEMINAR: Wednesday, December 15th, 7:00-10:00pm, Keeping Fiction Wild
An expanded version of the very popular Muse and the Marketplace 2010 Conference Lecture. How do we recognize wildness in our fiction, how do we sustain it? We will try to answer these questions through examples drawn from Denis Johnson and Jorge Luis Borges.
Instructor: Pablo Medina
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*

SEMINAR: Wednesday, December 15th, 7:00-10:00pm, The Poem and the Idea
Poems that describe a heron or the moon can be nice, but what sets the one you remember apart from all the rest? Chances are it’s an interesting idea. This seminar will explore poetry as a manifestation of thought, examining the ways in which poems communicate complex ideas (be they overt ideas, diffuse ideas, or meta ideas through conceptualism), the overlapping territory of poetry and philosophy, and the difference between the poetic idea and other modes or tropes, such as imagery, description, narrative, and abstraction. Class time will be divided between lecture, discussion, and in-class reading, with an emphasis on discussion. A reading packet will be distributed, including poems by Rae Armantrout, Anne Carson, Maggie Nelson, Wallace Stevens, and Jon Woodward.
Instructor: Elisa Gabbert
*7 SPOTS LEFT* Register now! $65.00/$50.00 members, Grub Street headquarters.

SEMINAR: Wednesday, December 15th, 7:00-10:00pm, Epiphany and a Side Order of Meaning (or, “I’ll Have What She’s Having”)
If only it were that simple. Elevating our work from the personal to the universal—to some larger meaning that has your readers shaking their head in recognition and in amazement at your grand wisdom—can feel daunting. In this seminar geared toward writers of personal essay and memoir, we’ll examine the work of authors who do it well, such as Bernard Cooper, Joan Didion, Scott Russell Saunders and others.
Instructor: Amy Yelin
*Sorry, this class is sold out. Please click here to be put on a waiting list.*

Be sure to check out our website for a comprehensive view of upcoming events.

Spreading the Love

Grub Street wants to promote YOU! Please send events for consideration to whitney@grubstreet.org. Bonus points and undying gratitude for submitting your event info in the same format as the events below. Our apologies in advance if we cannot fit you in. Please note that we do the best we can to evaluate requests, and do privilege requests from members, but cannot be held responsible for the quality of these events and programs or the legitimacy of contests. We expect that readers will do their own due diligence before sending their work or their money to any individual or organization.

--BENEFIT: Thursday, December 9th, 2010 8-9 AM, 826 Boston Presents: Books for Breakfast with Dan Wasserman
Join 826 Boston and Globe Cartoonist Dan Wasserman  before heading off to work. Warm up with breakfast and enjoy fantastic views of the city and harbor, readings by 826 Boston's student writers, and live cartooning by Dan Wasserman. $100 includes 1 seat and a catered breakfast. All proceeds benefit 826 Boston's free youth writing programs for Boston Public School students. RSVP today at http://www.826boston.org.
$100, 60 State St. WilmerHale, 26th Floor, Boston, MA 02109.

--READING: Wednesday, December 8, 7:30-9:30pm, Chanukah Story Slam
It's a special Boston Fall 2010 Four Stories Season Finale at Mobius Gallery in the South End, in partnership with and support of the New Center for Arts & Culture and their Chanukah Festival. The theme of the evening: "Who Am I? Tales of Identity, Confusion, and Conflict." Featuring art, conversation, and readings by:
Charles Coe, author of the poetry volume Picnic on the Moon; Judah Leblang, writer and storyteller whose column 'Life in the Slow Lane' appears regularly in Bay Windows, and author of the book Finding My Place: One Man's Journey from Cleveland to Boston and Beyond; Michael Mack, writer with pieces published in America magazine, the Beloit Poetry Journal, New York Quarterly, and Journal of the American Medical Association; and Tracy McArdle, novelist, screenwriter, and author of humorous essays for The Boston Globe Magazine and the comic novels Confessions of a Nervous Shiksa and Real Women Eat Beef.
Please note: The New Center for Arts & Culture requests a donation of $5 in advance/$10 at the door for admittance to this event, in support of their operations. For questions, please call them at 617-531-4610.
Mobius Gallery, 725 Harrison Avenue, South End, Boston

--READING: Tuesday, December 14th, 6:30-8pm, ArtMorpheus Creative Interactivity
A special event featuring conversation about influences at work in the creative process and developed disciplines, interspersed with readings. The event features Chris Adrian, author of two novels, Gob's Grief and The Children's Hospital and a collection of short stories, A Better Angel; Edith Pearlman, author of Binocular Vision, How to Fall, Love Among the Greats and Vaquita; and Grub's own Christopher Castellani, author of A Kiss from Maddalena, and The Saint of Lost Things.
FREE, Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts, 551 Tremont St., Boston 02116. RSVP at artmorpheuscreativeinteractivity.eventbrite.com.

--THE REVIEW REVIEW--CALL FOR INTERNS
The Review Review is currently looking for motivated people who share a passion for writing, reading, and small/alternative presses. Interns will write a regular blog, oversee editor and writer interviews, do social media outreach, and help with other forms of promotion. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about web marketing, platform-building, publishing, editing, and literary magazines. If interested, email Becky Tuch at 99review<at>gmail.com.

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